“Grizzly Man”

This is a paper that I wrote during my second year as an MSW student at NYU. The assignment was to choose from a short list of books and videos and then basically diagnose the main “character.” I chose the movie “Grizzly Man” – this paper demonstrates one example of a more mainstream perspective of mental health – in the discussion of possible diagnoses – and then a more human-centered approach to analyzing the person’s circumstances.

Current Problem and Client’s Ego Functions

In the documentary “Grizzly Man,” we’re introduced to Timothy Treadwell, a man who spent 13 summers living among grizzly bears. He was ultimately killed, along with his girlfriend, by a grizzly bear. For this paper I am presuming that his “current problem” would represent some obstacle in his life that preceded his death. There are three identifiable “issues” that Timothy relates through the course of the film (I’m disregarding the obvious editorializing and pathologizing done by the director/narrator of the film and focusing only on those things that came from Timothy himself).

Timothy and his parents both refer to his drinking problem. He acknowledges that it was only in finding his passion for working with the grizzlies that he was able to overcome that problem. (The parents also refer to his pot use, but he doesn’t, and it also seemed possible in context that he was using that in relation to back pain from the injury he suffered in college.) From this there is the possibility of Substance/Medication Induced Depressive Disorder: Alcohol (DSM Code 291.89). It would require further information about how he copes when he is back in “human society” and whether he continues to drink in that situation, which, as far as I can tell, doesn’t seem to be the case.

He also speaks of his “difficulty” in dating and relationships. He seems to be able to start dating, but then doesn’t understand why women won’t stay with him. He does hold some unfortunately simplistic views of gay men, but these views seem to be, for him, in service of trying to understand his own dating issues. While he shows some distress with this, he also demonstrates some level of self-awareness on the topic, and has been able to date successfully. His last girlfriend, who died with him, even went with him on his expedition despite her own fear of bears.

Perhaps the main obstacle facing Timothy, and one that may have driven his earlier issue with excessive alcohol consumption, and may well be behind his perceived issues with women, is a troubled relationship with society in general. He is clearly more comfortable living in nature, among grizzly bears. He also, through his filmmaking, created an image of himself as a loner, even though it was partly an enhanced image (he did occasionally have people with him, though it appears he did live most of the time in nature by himself).

Despite the amount of time he spent in nature, he did still have to spend time in “human society.” During the winter months the land he was living on would have become very inhospitable for a human, and the bears were in hibernation. As a social worker working with him, I’d want to see how he was faring during the time when he couldn’t be with the bears. This was presumably the time when he would do his educational and activist outreach, so he did demonstrate an ability to live and work among people.

It would also be reasonable to look at the level of danger to which he was exposing himself in the course of his work with the bears. In this regard I think my interest would be in looking at how he perceived that danger, and whether he perceived it as being dangerous, and how much he might have believed he was invulnerable to the danger. He does clearly refer to the danger, but also speaks in terms that might indicate an inflated sense of his own risk. By contrast, there is a wolf preserve in New Jersey that I’ve gone to frequently, and the people there, who often go into the fenced-in areas with the wolves, express a great deal of humility in working with the wolves. They are always aware of the danger posed by a wolf who could attack them, or even injure them while being playful! It wasn’t clear that Timothy had that same sense of humility, but it also could have been part of his “image” to portray himself as feeling safe.

Ego Functions

Awareness of the external environment – given the fact that Timothy spends a great deal of time living among grizzly bears, and getting in very close proximity to them, it’s difficult to assess how accurate his perception of the external world is (Walsh, 2013, P. 61). If he truly believes that he is essentially impervious to attack, that he is “being completely safe” around them, that may rise to the level of a delusion. It would require a greater understanding of how grizzly bears react to certain stimuli, and how aware Timothy is of those facts. For example, he appears to yell at a bear once, was this something that could easily provoke a bear to attack?

Judgment – Timothy discovered that learning about and promoting the education about and protection of bears was something that gave him a sense of meaning in life. As a result, his decision to become a filmmaker and activist about grizzly bears shows a capacity to choose behaviors to move towards those goals (Walsh, 2013, P. 61).

Sense of identity – Timothy chose a life that would result in him spending a good deal of time away from most people, which appears to be consistent with a coherent physical and psychological sense of himself (Walsh, 2013, P. 61). His decision may well have been maladaptive, but is does demonstrate self-awareness of his identity.

Thought process regulation – although the film shows him behaving quite erratically at times (e.g., chasing a fox in anger when the fox took his hat and yelling at God to make it rain), one has to imagine that he generally had a strong ability to “remember, concentrate, and assess situations” to take appropriate actions (Walsh, 2013, P. 61) based on his survival in the wilderness, among grizzly bears, for 13 summers.

Interpersonal (object) relation – this may be the most significant weakness among Timothy’s ego functions. Although he has dated, and has several very close friendships, he seems to have a difficult time overall in managing relationships towards personal goal attainment (preferring instead to be on his own) and seeing people as unique rather than as just part of “human society” (Walsh, 2013, P. 61). This is evidenced in his discussion about women where he seems confounded by his inability to form a lasting relationship, while seeming to ignore the fact that he spends months at a time in a wilderness that most people (including women!) wouldn’t want to spend time in.

Defenses

Sublimation – while this may be maladaptive in Timothy’s case, given the level of danger that he exposed himself to, it does seem that he was able to transform his asocial wishes – his desire to be apart from humanity – into a socially valuable activity of education people about grizzly bears in an effort to help protect them (Berzoff, Flanagan & Hertz, 2016, P. 85).

Humor – it is difficult to parse this out, since the video footage of Timothy was shot by him specifically to be viewed by others (therefore it’s not truly a video journal), he does often use humor in his work, and much of it is directed at the people and things that trouble him (Berzoff, Flanagan & Hertz, 2016, P. 85). For example, when he was frustrated by the lack of rain he screamed at God to make it rain, and then claimed credit when it did rain. While the narrator/director seemed to use this as “evidence” of Timothy’s instability, it is also possible that it was his own form of humor.

Mania as Defense – Timothy’s seemingly “manic” behavior might itself be a defense. It is considered by some that mania serves as a defense to “ward off depression and avoid intolerable feelings of sorry, loss, or loneliness” (Berzoff, Flanagan & Hertz, 2016, P. 435).        

DSM V Diagnosis

A number of assumptions need to be made in order to effectively determine what, if any, diagnosis is appropriate for Timothy. Through the film we only see a small portion of his life, and one that is skewed by the perspective of the narrator/director (this is discussed more fully below). One diagnoses that I suspect Timothy experienced, though it is likely that it has passed, is Adjustment Disorder: Unspecified (I say unspecified based on the lack of available information).

In support of this diagnosis I refer to the back injury that Timothy experienced while in college, which may have led to his problem with alcohol and later marijuana. The drinking may have been a behavioral reaction (part A) to the injury. It isn’t clear from the film how much of an impact this had on his college education, but it seems plausible that it resulted in some impairment in that functioning. It’s also difficult to say with certainty, but seems likely that this wasn’t the result of another mental health or other condition, and was not “normal” bereavement (I make that statement though I object to the idea that there is such a thing as “normal,” and therefore “abnormal” bereavement – I would suggest that his bereavement seemed “significant”). If this was the case, assuming Timothy’s back injury no longer impacts him, it would seem that the “time limit” for this disorder has passed as it was more than six months ago.

Based in large part on the biased perspective of the filmmakers, it is possible to consider a diagnoses of Bipolar I Disorder for Timothy. Each of the 13 summers that Timothy spent living among the grizzly bears could be viewed as “Manic Episodes.” Based on the film these seem to be periods, lasting at least 1 week each and present most of the day, nearly every day, in which Timothy experienced “abnormally and persistently elevated” or “expansive mood,” and “abnormally and persistently increased goal-directed  activity or energy.”

During these periods he seemed to show a number of the part B indicators of a Manic Episode. Specifically, he demonstrated “inflated self-esteem or grandiosity” in talking about his work with the bears and his safety in living among them; there appeared to be periods in which he experienced “racing thoughts”; he showed an “increase in goal-directed activity” by going to Alaska to conduct his work; and there was pretty clearly “excessive involvement in activities that have a high potential for painful consequence,” as he did, in fact, experience the worst of those painful consequences.

His social functioning was apparently impaired by these activities. Although he did date – we know of at least two woman he had dated – he talked at some length about his inability to stay in a relationship. Although he doesn’t seem to make the connection, the fact that he was living for months at a time in the Alaska wilderness, in close proximity to one of the most dangerous animals on earth, likely contributed to his relationship problems.

To avoid a “false positive” report of a manic episode, which can occur as a result of, for example, irritability that results from contextually normal reactions, it’s necessary to establish that there is a change in activity or energy during the manic episode, in addition to mood shifts (Wakefield, 2013). It is possible to view Timothy’s activities during his potential manic episodes in this light. In addition to the range of moods indicated in his video footage, he did seem at times very energetic and at other times less so, and in a way that would appear to be beyond the usual changes in energy levels for an individual. It would be necessary to have a fuller understanding of what is “normal” for Timothy to make this determination.

It isn’t clear that there is a history of a “major depressive episode” to allow for a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder II. It also doesn’t appear that there is another physiological condition to attribute this to. Although we know that he had a drinking problem at some point, it appears that he no longer experiences that issue.

Another diagnosis that is worth considering – again, based on the skewed perspective of the film – is Narcissistic Personality Disorder (DSM 301.81). The way in which he chose to live among the bears, seemingly believing himself invulnerable to them, and the sense of importance he expressed in the context of serving as their protector appears to meet criteria (1), (2) and (3) for this disorder. A full diagnosis would require two more indicators, and those aren’t immediately present in the material provided in the film. This is supported by the notion that individuals with narcissistic character organizations can be susceptible to fluctuations between despair and elation (Berzoff, Flanagan & Hertz, 2016, P. 434), which appeared evident in the case of Timothy.

Ultimately I find it difficult to ascribe any specific diagnosis to Timothy. In large part because of the incomplete information provided, and the biased manner in which it was provided. I’m also inclined to view the fact that he was someone who experienced a traumatic injury as a college student and experienced some difficulty as a result of that. While he shows signs of having problems in terms of socializing with humans, I don’t find his activities with the bears to be maladaptive overall, I think it’s highly possible that he actually found a sense of meaning in his life through his work with them. The idea that he couldn’t associate with humans is also belied by the fact that he did go on speaking tours to help provide education about the bears (a fact that the filmmakers did mention, but very briefly), and he did manage to have at least two relationships with women, and a number of other friendships.

Bio-psycho-social-spiritual Assessment of Diagnosis

A family history is one of the strongest and most consistent risk factors for bipolar disorders (American Psychological Association, 2013, P. 130). We don’t know enough about Timothy’s family to indicate if there is any history of bipolar disorders. An environmental factor for bipolar disorders is whether the person is separated, divorced, or widowed, which makes a person more susceptible to bipolar disorders than those who are married or have never been married (American Psychological Association, 2013, P. 130). It doesn’t seem that Timothy was ever married, which would decrease the likelihood of this diagnosis, but not eliminate it.

There is a line of research that suggests that prenatal exposure to infection likely plays a role in the development of various neurological disorders, including Bipolar Disorder (Marangoni, Hernandez & Faedda, 2016). In Timothy’s case we would need to explore the mother’s health history in order to determine whether this might have been a factor.

Countertransference

I mentioned earlier the wolf preserve that I frequently visit. Those visits are part of a larger, life-long love of wolves. This was a part of my identity that I felt was very clearly “triggered” by Timothy’s experience, and it worked in multiple directions for me. Initially, as I mentioned earlier, I was struck by what seemed like his lack of humility with respect to the bears, which stood in stark contrast with the experiences I’ve had with people who work at the wolf preserve. They seem ever vigilant to the fact that a wolf – even while playing with you – can seriously injure or even kill you. I believe that that part of my countertransference experience with Timothy made me more inclined to view his actions as maladaptive.

Over the course of the film I began to relate more to his clear passion about and love of the grizzly bears. I have no doubt that if I could do it with proper instruction I would like to be in closer, even direct, proximity to wolves. While I can’t see myself doing as he did and trying to live among them (though wolves tend to be much more “secretive” in their living arrangements, so it would be very difficult to accomplish even if you wanted to), I can understand his desire to do so. The more I began to feel that connection the less inclined I was to “diagnose” Timothy.

Ultimately I feel that I was able to recognize and effectively “put aside” all of this and think more objectively about him and his circumstances. Both areas of countertransference did, however, help me in working through his situation to come to my diagnosis. Specifically, I recognized that while I can relate to his passion, and comprehend why he would do what he did, I also questioned whether he was showing as much “humility” as might have been warranted under the circumstances. It seems that at least some of his drive to live among the grizzly bears was about being away from human society as much as it was about helping the bears. Having said that, I was also able to recognize that while he might have been a little reckless, he did survive for 13 summers of living with the bears without anything happening, so perhaps we weren’t getting a complete picture of him and his activities with the bears.

Film’s Depiction of Diagnosis

I mentioned earlier that I observed the narrator/director “pathologizing” Timothy at various points in the film, both directly and through what he chose to include in the film from Timothy’s footage and interviews with others. I was, in fact, tempted to diagnose the narrator instead of Timothy.

The filmmakers seemed to have had an agenda to portray Timothy as “crazy” and his way of living as “madness” (they used both terms in the film). While they did directly reference his alcohol abuse issue, and the fact that he seems to have been able to control and even eliminate the problem through his work with the bears, they didn’t make what I thought was the rather obvious connection, that having found his sense of purpose and meaning in life (working to educate people about and protect the grizzly bears) he was able to bring under control what was likely a maladaptive coping mechanism in his drinking.

They often seemed to portray the grandiosity of his language, and the ways in which he tried to cultivate a particular image, as being signs of his “madness.” But most of the footage (perhaps all of the footage) shot by Timothy was a “show.” He was filming for the purpose of educating, and he was trying to cultivate an “image,” not a “myth” as the narrator/director so dismissively calls it.

The use of a native Alaskan was particularly troubling in this respect. He spoke of showing respect for nature and suggested that Timothy had “crossed a line” that his people hadn’t crossed for thousands of years, by living in close proximity to the bears. This no doubt was meant to fuel the notion that what Timothy was doing was “crazy.” While I deeply respect the traditions of native populations in particular, they are not the law. There is nothing to suggest that people outside of those cultures need to observe them. While many may be (and are) worth observing, in this case what Timothy was doing was important, perhaps more important than whatever principle is behind the native tradition that was discussed.

In the end I would almost compare the narrator/director to a friend or family member who insists on a person getting counseling simply because they don’t approve of or like what the person is doing. He inflated, and likely even pulled out of context, behaviors and comments made by Timothy to show us that he was “crazy” for doing what he was doing.

References Cited

American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th Ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing.

Berzoff, J., Flanagan, L.M., & Hertz, P. (2016). Chapter 4: Ego Psychology. Inside out and outside in (4^th edition). London, United Kingdom: Rowman & Littlefield.

Berzoff, J., Flanagan, L.M., & Hertz, P. (2016). Chapter 17: Mood disorders, with a  special emphasis on depression and bipolar disorder. Inside out and outside in (4^th edition). London, United Kingdom: Rowman & Littlefield.

Marangoni, C., Hernandez, M., Faedda, G. (2016). The role of environmental exposures as risk factors for bipolar disorder: A systematic review of longitudinal studies. Journal of Affective Disorders 193 (165-174).

Wakefield, J.C. (2013). DSM-5: An overview of changes and controversies. Clin. Soc. Work J.41 (139-154).

Walsh, J. (2013). Chapter 4: Ego Psychology. Theories for direct social work practice. Stamford, CT: Cengage.